Few architects have enriched the country with such distinctive exuberance as Dan Hanganu. The Romanian-born, Montreal-based architect, who died on Oct. 5 at the age of 78, led the life of the proverbial successful immigrant, seizing Canadian opportunities and adopting the country's essential values while letting the culture of his homeland inform his work. His landmark projects are almost all in Quebec, but they have generated strong international acclaim.

Deeply influenced by his early life and training in Romania, Mr. Hanganu sought a counterpoint to what he saw as the formulaic rigidity of conventional modern architecture. This ethos would drive the design of his 1992 breakout project, Montreal's Pointe-à-Callière archeology museum, designed in consortium with Provencher Roy. A limestone-clad triangular building with a jogged cylindrical prow, it literally reveals the city's history by showcasing actual archeological remnants embedded in the lower floor, with exhibition and educational spaces on the upper floors.